Booking Conditions

Booking Conditions & Booking Procedures

Booking Procedures

The information contained in these booking conditions (together with the general information contained in our website) form the basis of your booking through Factpass Ltd (trading as EWP and from hereafter referred to as EWP). Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations.

In order to confirm your booking you must send us your completed booking form, insurance policy details (you must be insured – see clause 8), and a deposit of 10% of the total trip cost (or full payment if booking within 8 weeks of departure).

Once we have received your booking form, insurance details (if applicable) and all appropriate payments, we will, subject to availability, confirm your holiday by issuing a confirmation invoice. We will also send you an information package giving further trek and travel information, equipment list and visa application form if necessary. Please check this invoice carefully as soon as you receive it. Contact us immediately if any information which appears on the confirmation or any other document appears to be incorrect or incomplete as it may not be possible to make changes later.

Booking Conditions

EWP acts strictly as a booking agent acting as agent for hotels, transport companies, tour operators and facilities/services provided by other parties, firms or corporations.

EWP does act as the provider for Mount Kenya treks and safaris.

EWP does not arrange international flights but can give advice.

EWP has a website and a manned office through which all information and bookings can be discussed. All bookings are subject to the following conditions regardless of whether they are booked through our office or the website.

Contract

a) A binding contract comes into existence between EWP and the person(s) on whose behalf the booking may have been made (the clients) when we issue our confirmation invoice.

b) Should the balance not be paid by the due date, we reserve the right to cancel the booking and retain the deposit paid, or apply the charges outlined in clause 2 a).

c) EWP reserves the right to decline any booking.

Cancellation by Customer

a) Should you wish to cancel the booking after it has been accepted, please notify us immediately in writing. The insurance premium and the following will be payable or forfeited as the case may be:

More than 8 weeks before departure – the deposit.

8-5 weeks before departure – 30% of the trip cost.

5-2 weeks before departure – 50% of the trip cost.

Less than 2 weeks – 100% of the trip cost.

b) In addition to the above charges, it may be necessary to add under-occupancy or single room supplements to other members of a group where a member(s) of that group cancel.

c) Cancellation charges of 100% will apply on scheduled service tickets if you have to cancel or amend your flights once the tickets are issued.

Alteration by Customer

After acceptance of the booking, if the customer alters the confirmed arrangements, an amendment fee of £25 (or foreign currency equivalent at the time) per person, plus any increased charges, may be charged. Additionally, if the alteration is within 8 weeks of the original departure date, the cancellation charges in clause 2 a) may be applied.

Changes and Cancellation by us

Occasionally, we have to make changes to and correct errors on our website and other details before or after bookings have been confirmed. Whilst we always endeavour to avoid changes and cancellations, we must reserve the right to do so. However, we promise we will only cancel your confirmed booking at short notice where you have failed to comply with any requirements of these booking conditions entitling us to cancel (such as paying on time) or where we are forced to do so as a result of circumstances outside our control “force majeure” (clause 5 below).

Most changes are minor.

If we have to make a significant change or cancel, we will tell you as soon as possible. If there is time to do so before departure, we will offer you the choice of the following options:

(a) (for significant changes) accepting the changed arrangements or

(b) purchasing an alternative holiday from us, (if the chosen alternative is less expensive, we will refund the difference but if it is more expensive, we will ask you to pay the difference) or

(c) cancelling or accepting the cancellation in which case you will receive a full and quick refund of all monies you have paid to us.

Please note the above options are not available where any change made is a minor one.

When offering alternative arrangements, EWP will, if accommodation is affected, use its best endeavours to provide an alternative in the same area. If EWP is only able to offer a lower classification of hotel, it will refund the difference in the price.

We regret we cannot pay any expenses, costs or losses incurred by you as a result of any change or cancellation.

Very rarely, we may be forced by “force majeure” (see clause 5) to change or terminate your holiday after departure but before the scheduled end of your time away. This is extremely unlikely but if this situation does occur, we regret we will be unable to make any refunds (unless we obtain any refunds from our suppliers), pay you any compensation or meet any costs or expenses you incur as a result.

Force Majeure

Except where otherwise expressly stated in these booking conditions, we regret we cannot accept liability or pay any compensation in respect to delays or lack of performance affected by “force majeure

In these Booking Conditions, “force majeure” means any event which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events may include war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity or actual threatened terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather conditions, fire and all similar events outside our control

Our Liability to you

EWP acts strictly as agent only and accepts no responsibility or liability for any actual travel product or services booked or for the acts or omissions of those actually providing the travel product or services booked. We will not be responsible for any injury, illness, death, loss (eg of enjoyment), damage, expense, cost or claim of any description whatsoever. In addition we will not be responsible where you to not enjoy your holiday or suffer any problems because of a reason that you did not tell us about when you booked.

The Cost of your Holiday

We reserve the right to alter the prices of unsold holidays at any time. The price of your chosen holiday will be confirmed at the time of booking.

Once the price of your chosen holiday has been confirmed at the time of booking then, subject to the correction of errors, we will only increase the price in the following circumstances. Price increases after booking will be passed on by way of a surcharge. A surcharge will be payable if transportation costs and/or dues, taxes or fees payable for services such as airport fees or park entry fees increase or our costs increase as a result of any adverse changes in the exchange rates which have been used to calculate the cost of your holiday.

Except as set out below, even in the above cases, we will absorb increased costs up to a total amount equivalent to 2% of the cost of your confirmed holiday (excluding insurance premiums and any amendment charges). Only if the increased costs exceed this 2% will we levy a surcharge. If any surcharge is greater than 10% of the cost of your holiday (excluding insurance premiums and any amendment charges), you will be entitled to cancel your booking and receive a full refund of all monies paid to us except for insurance premiums and amendment charges. You have 14 days from the issue date printed on the surcharge invoice to tell us if you want to cancel for this reason. If you do not tell us that you wish to cancel within this period of time, we are entitled to assume that you do not wish to cancel and will pay the surcharge. Any surcharge must be paid with the balance of the cost of the holiday or within 14 days of the issue date printed on the surcharge invoice, whichever is the later.

Except as set out above, we promise not to levy a surcharge within 30 days of departure. Due to the above promises, no refunds can be made in the event of favourable exchange rate variations or decreases in costs.

We reserve the right to correct errors in both advertised and confirmed prices. We will do so as soon as we become aware of the error.

Please note, changes and errors occasionally occur. You must check the price of your chosen holiday at the time of booking. see also section 10

Insurance

You are required to take out an insurance policy to provide adequate cover for medical expenses, personal accident, loss of baggage and curtailment or cancellation of trip. It is the responsibility of all individuals to finance on-the-spot medical treatment and other contingencies, then to reclaim this from their insurance on return, and to ensure that they have adequate protection for expensive equipment. Please keep details of all the documentation which may be necessary when making a claim. Individuals should ensure their insurance covers all aspects of the programme such as for off-piste skiing for the heliskiing programmes and mountaineering with ropes as required.

All insurance premiums must be paid in full as soon as possible for cover to become effective.

Disputes

If you have cause for complaint while on holiday you must bring it to the attention of your service provider or the hotel who will do their best to rectify the situation. It is unreasonable to take no action whilst on holiday but then to write a letter of complaint upon return. However, should a problem remain unresolved a complaint should be made within 28 days of the completion of the holiday. Please remember to quote your holiday account number.

Prices and Website Accuracy

Please note the information on prices shown on our website may have changed by the time you come to book your holiday. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the website and price, regrettably errors do occasionally occur. You must therefore ensure you check all details of your chosen holiday (including the price) with us at the time of booking.

Passports, visas and health requirements

The passports, visas and health requirements applicable at the time of printing to British citizens for the holidays we offer are shown in the predeparture information. A full British passport may take several weeks to be issued. Many countries will not accept passports due to expire shortly after the end of your planned trip. Requirements may change and you must check the up to date position in good time before departure.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in possession of all necessary travel and health documents before departure. All costs incurred in obtaining such documentation must be paid by you. We regret that we cannot accept any liability if you are refused entry into any transport or into any country due to failure on your part to carry correct documentation. If you or any member of your party is not a British citizen or holds a non-British passport you must check passport and visa requirements with the Embassy or Consulate of the country which you are intending to travel.

Conditions of suppliers

Many of the services which make up your holiday are provided by independent suppliers. Those suppliers provide these services in accordance with their own terms and conditions. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the supplier’s liability to you, usually in accordance with applicable International Conventions.

Special requests and medical problems

If you have any special request, you must advise us at the time of booking and clearly note it on your booking form. Although we will endeavour to pass any reasonable requests on to the relevant supplier, we regret we cannot guarantee any request will be met. Failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on our part. We regret we cannot accept any conditional bookings, i.e. any booking which is specified to be conditional on the fulfilment of a particular request. All such bookings will be treated as “standard” bookings subject to the above provisions on special requests.

If you or any member of your party has any medical problem or disability which may affect your holiday, please tell us before you confirm your booking so that we can advise as to the suitability of the chosen arrangements. In any event, you must give us full details in writing at the time of booking. [If we reasonably feel unable to properly accommodate the particular needs of the person concerned, we must reserve the right to decline their reservation or, if full details are not given at the time of booking, cancel when we become aware of these details]. We recommend that you visit your local GP for a general health check and advise that you are clinbing to high altitude.

Safety standards

Please note, it is the requirements and standards of the country in which any services which make up your holiday are provided which apply to those services and not those of the UK. As a general rule, these requirements and standards will not be the same as the UK and may [sometimes/often] be lower.

Group Bookings

Group booking discounts apply to groups where one person represents the clients when making the booking arrangements and payments. In this case the confirmation invoice will be sent to him / her only. All payments to EWP for the trip must be made through him / her.

Responsible Tourism

When you book with us, you accept responsibility for any damage or loss caused by you or any member of your party. Full payment for any such damage or loss must be paid direct at the time to the accommodation owner or manager or other supplier. If you fail to do so, you will be responsible for meeting any claims subsequently made against us (together with our own and the other party’s full legal costs) as a result of your actions.

We expect all clients to have consideration for other people. If in our, or another person’s reasonable opinion, you or any member of your party behaves in such a way as to cause or be likely to cause danger, upset or distress to any third party or damage to property, we are entitled, without prior notice, to terminate your holiday. In this situation, the person(s) concerned will be required to leave the accommodation or other service. We will have no further responsibility toward such person(s) including any return travel arrangements. No refunds will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the termination.

Furthermore we expect all trip participants to read our Responsible Tourism Policy (which are detailed below and in our predeparture information). We ask participants to comply with them as far as possible

FURTHER INFORMATION

Responsible Tourism Policy

We at EWP are committed to improving the environment for the communities with whom we work. To put into practice our ideas we have adopted several strategies:

As far as possible we use local people to act in support of our trips.

We personally get to know the guides and design our trips in conjunction with them.

Staff are expected to run trips in as sustainable a manner as possible. For example; not only do they insist on removing their own rubbish but they will when practicable clean up after other less caring and more selfish groups. Our aim is always to leave campsites in a better state than we have found them.

Discussing with National Park and other authorities problem areas and working with them to find solutions

Staff ensure our clients are given clear guidance on dealing with litter, toilet issues, on prevention of water pollution, firewood usage and personal hygiene.

Discussing with staff and client groups how to interact with local people they meet, eg with regard to awareness of local customs, introductions, employment, photography, handling children, gifts.

Ensuring we use operators who provide good quality of equipment for their staff and clients and ensure that the staff have acceptable work loads.

We aim to help charities and organisations working to improve conditions in overseas areas we are associated with.

We encourage all participants in our trips to follow our Responsible Tourism strategies as outlined above as part of our Booking Conditions.
We ask our clients to respect local environments and promote local projects, products and producers. In particular:

Assist local economies by purchasing local products instead of exotic ones and to avoid those made from endangered indigenous wood such as ebony or bamba kofi.

Avoid purchasing items such as pieces of coral, large shells or turtle shells which encourage the destruction of the coral reef and ocean fauna.

Not to remove any natural objects such as flora or sea shells.

Not to harass wildlife or marine life.

Not to leave litter. Please take all litter back from the mountains or safaris unless responsibly disposed of by your trip guides.

Water is precious – please use it sparingly.

Respect the customs of the local population. In towns, particular at the coast or on Zanzibar women are requested to cover their shoulders and wear knee length skirts or trousers and not to go topless on the beaches where there are local people. In towns men should not go shirtless.

Please ask before taking photos of people or private houses.

Alcohol is freely available but drunken behaviour is offensive.

Not to give presents of money to children nor to accept services from unlicensed people.

Group Size

Our maximum group size for scheduled trips is 15, and our minimum group size is 5; smaller groups will be considered but a surcharge, to be discussed at the time of booking, will be added. We are happy to discuss the details of any programme with you.

Airport Meeting Instructions

These will be given to you two weeks before departure along with your ticket and flight information. Please ensure that we have a contact address for you prior to the trip in case there is a change in flight plan or meeting place.

Local Representative/Agent

The name, address and telephone number of the Agent will be forwarded with the predeparture information as will the name of the leader and guides.

Healthcare and Vaccinations

Your doctor will advise you on health care, recommended vaccinations and your nearest vaccination centre. It is your own responsibility to take sufficient quantities of any specific medication you require.
In East Africa an official certificate may be required showing valid vaccinations against Yellow Fever and Cholera. Malaria Prophylaxis is essential.
When travelling outside Europe it is advisable to be protected against TB, Tetanus, Polio, Typhoid and Hepatitis. Protection against Encephalitis is recommended for travel in some areas of the CIS. You are welcome to contact us for simple hints and suggestions on the subject